The queen inherited the mother of all art collections—1 million items including 7,000 paintings, 30,000 watercolors, and half a million prints, to say nothing of sculpture, furniture, and jewelry—but she shows only a tiny fraction here; the booty is also in her palaces such as Kensington and Hampton Court, and on loan. The few works (budget 1 hr.) are undoubtedly exceptional (one of the world’s few Vermeers, a Rubens’ self-portrait given to Charles I, glittering ephemera by Fabergé), but depending on what temporary exhibition supplements them, they may not be the cream of what she owns, and it may bore kids. The Gallery and the Royal Mews can be seen on a joint ticket (£19 adults, £17 seniors and students, £10 children 5–16).